Wednesday 13th :– The journey
through to Madrid was difficult due to the strong winds and rain
affecting much of Valencia & Castilla La Mancha but I got to Madrid
Airport on time. Aileen had already arrived and we turned round
straight away and headed out of the city on the A2 towards A Coruna
seeing a Red Kite, Spotless Starling and Feral Pigeons almost
immediately. Just beyond the Guadarrama Mountains we stopped for a
coffee and then a little further on I pulled into a layby for a bit to
eat. I like to stop here because over-looks some water but today there
was very little and devoid of bird-life. However Aileen had skilfully
found a group of 11 Common Cranes on migration while driving there and
they appeared not long after getting there, bugling their distinctive
call. This was the start of something special as over the next 30
minutes we saw a wonderful sub-adult Spanish Imperial Eagle, a single
Black Vulture, 50+ Griffon Vultures, 10+ Red Kites, Common Buzzard and a
Kestrel plus lots of Skylarks heading south. What a fantastic start.
So we continued to north and west to San Pedro de Herrerias with Aileen
finding a couple of Marsh Harriers, more Common Buzzards and Red Kites
with a couple of Southern Grey Shrikes on the overhead wires.
Eventually we got to San Pedro and parked at the CTR Veniata where we
immediately met up with Mal & Lorraine who were joining our party
for the short break followed by Thomas & Sheila, who had just
driven down from the Picos de Europa. So we quickly agreed a meeting
time and soon enough we were heading for the watchpoint of Pistas de
Linarejos. Here we set up our telescopes and waited with anticipation
scanning continuously the sierra beyond. Initially it was very quiet
with just a couple of Jays to keep us company but then later things got
interesting. I spied (at least) a couple of animals moving swiftly
through the deep heather and recognised them as Iberian Wolves then
tried to get the others on to them. Sadly they quite quickly
disappeared with only Mal getting a better view and Thomas getting a
very brief view of them. It was all very frustrating but also
encouraging that they were around and still active in the area. About 30
minutes later Sheila saw an animal near the main track but was unsure
of its identification and couldn’t rule out wolf! However near to where
she was looking an adult closely followed by 5 young Wild Boar crossed
the track and disappeared into the undergrowth. It was now getting
quite late (7pm) and quite cold as the sun had gone behind the
mountains. Things did continue to happen as next I found a Fallow Dear
closely followed by a few Red Deer including one large Stag. Finally as
dusk was taking over we (myself, Aileen, Thomas & Sheila) decided
to head back to the CTR Veniata for a warm and our evening meal. Thomas
and Sheila had obviously been most attentive as they heard the
resident Tawny Owl outside their bedroom window. It had been a fabulous
day and hopefully the next day will continue in the same vein – time
will tell!!!

Thursday 14th :– We convened
just before 07:30 and had a hot drink before venturing out into a
wonderful starlight sky – it was cold but we knew it was going to be a
lovely day. We drove the short distance to the Pistas de Linarejos
watchpoint and set up while it was still dark with Sheila identifying
Venus and then a passing satellite. The dawn broke over the Sierra de
Cabrales to the east and it was a spectacular event as the sun rose
clearly above the distant mountains. Sadly the wildlife didn’t take full
advantage of this beautiful early morning and by 09:30 we had just
seen a few Red Deer. Thomas found a nice male Stonechat and we also saw
a Dunnock, Jays, Coal Tits, Wren, Blackbirds and Mel found a Southern
Grey Shrike. So we returned to the CTR Veniata after seeing a Raven sat
on a pylon, for a very welcome breakfast that Antonio had already set
out for us. After breakfast we met by the church in the village and
spent the rest of the morning walking around this very peaceful hamlet
in glorious sunshine. During these few hours we saw some very good
birds with Aileen finding an unseasonal Garden Warbler amongst the good
numbers of Blackcaps and Lorraine incredibly spying a roosting Tawny
Owl tucked up into a vent of a chimney. We also got very good views of a
pair of Firecrests, several Crested Tits, Short toed Treecreeper, a
male Crossbill flew over, House & Tree Sparrows, Black Redstarts, 2
Crag Martins, Serins, Linnets, Cirl & Rock Buntings. Birds were
not the only focus and we also saw a few Speckled Woods, Lang’s Short
tailed Blue, Small Copper, Red Admiral and Small White butterflies, the
unseasonal warm weather produced a Bocage’s Wall Lizard on the
cemetery wall! All in all it had been a very productive morning and we
headed back to the accommodation for our lunch and a mid-afternoon
siesta. We started again late afternoon and headed out towards Ferreras
de Arriba stopping first at the cattle drinking tanks for Marbled Newt
but apart from me seeing one briefly we were without success although
an Emerald Damselfly and Migrant Hawker were a nice addition. We then
moved to the more natural pool and a few of us only got brief views of
Iberian Frog before they dove into the water. Things were not going
well this afternoon and our next stop was equally abortive as we
intended on walking a small path to look for evidence of wolf but we
were stopped by one of the local wardens. A little despondent we then
continued through Otero and back towards Villardeciervos and beyond the
village stopped for several flocks of birds. A large number were
Spotless Starlings but we also saw over 300 Rock Sparrows and lots of
Corn Buntings. Mel had been scanning the skies and found 5 soaring
Griffon Vultures with a couple of Red Kites, which looked to be
dropping down to a carcass? So we drove to where we thought it was and
sure enough there was a dead Red Deer (just head & shoulders!) that
was surrounded by vultures, kites and Ravens. As we were watching our
only Black Vulture of the day drifted over but we continued to watch
the morbid spectacle of these birds feeding on the carcass. After about
an hour we again moved on and set up to look for wolf near
Villardeciervos, where we stayed until dusk without success. Thomas
found our only mammals of the evening with a couple of Roe Deer, but
apart from a fly-through juvenile Hobby it was very quiet. In
fact the main highlight of the evening was in fact the good views we
had of Jupiter and its moons! So later we enjoyed our evening meal and
Aileen had requested a night walk around the village looking for owls.
Around 10pm we did this and had mixed fortunes with just hearing a
Tawny Owl but also seeing some Common Pipistrelle bats. So the day
finished, although disappointed we were still optimistic on seeing more
wolves.

Friday 15th :– We set out a
little later than the previous morning since it was still quite dark
when we there, so today we arrived as dawn was breaking. At Pistas de
Linarejos we met up with my Dutch friend Will who is a regular visitor
here and he informed us that a few Wolves had been howling about 30
minutes earlier. So we waited in great expectation. Sadly we had
another ‘no-show’ despite waiting till after 09:30 before going for
breakfast. In fact it was very quiet all round with just a couple of Red
Deer and a few bird species such as Iberian Green Woodpecker and a
Crossbill flying over and a few Coal & Great Tits. Things were a
little despondent during breakfast but I said we must try and remain
positive! Eventually we set off for Portugal seeing Red Kites, Common
Buzzards, Kestrel, and Southern Grey Shrike on the way. Just outside
Miranda do Duero we pulled into a car park that overlooked the mighty
River Duero (Spain’s 3rd largest river) and almost immediately we were
finding birds with a pair of Red rumped Swallows and a few Crag Martins
flying above us. I then found a male Blue Rock Thrush on some distant
crags, which was soon followed by a second individual. Whilst watching
these we also managed to add Black Redstart and Rock Sparrow to the
day’s list. An interestingly ‘washed-out’ Cardinal butterfly created an
identification challenge and this was followed by Sheila finding an
Iberian Wall Lizard near the road. Aileen saw a few Cormorants on the
river but it was when she said “what’s this raptor?” that things got
interesting. Mel and I looked at it and we both knew it was something
new t the trip with Mel asking “is it a Bonelli’s” as I reached for my
scope. He was absolutely spot on; an adult Bonelli’s Eagle and
incredibly it was then joined by a second adult and they flew around
above the cliffs. Absolutely thrilled with this (it was my first here)
we left Portugal and headed for Fariza stopping on the way for
refreshments at a roadside café. At Fariza we headed out towards the
Ermita de Nuestra Senora where we parked the vehicle and after our
picnic lunch we then walked out to the Los Barrancos watchpoint. On the
way there Mel, Lorraine and I saw a Sparrowhawk plus a few Griffon
Vultures and Red Kites. We stopped at this incredibly scenic watchpoint
for a couple of hours finding a few birds including several more
Griffon Vultures and Red Kites along with House & Crag Martins,
Black Redstart, Red billed Chough and a Thekla Lark flew over. Late
afternoon we started back to San Pedro and as we entered Portugal at
Miranda we happened upon an injured Viperine Snake in the middle of the
main road. So we stopped and I ran back to where it was and moved it
into a safer position, making sure it was still alive. Thankfully it
was and looked to be recovering nicely despite some bleeding from the
mouth. Anyway we had to leave it in the vegetation at the side of the
road so hopefully it will have made a full recovery. The journey back
to the CTR Veniata was punctuated with views of Red Kites, Common
Buzzards and Southern Grey Shrike from the mini-van before getting to
our destination. Once back we had an hour to freshen up before
again heading out to Pistas de Linarejos and looking for wolf. We
stayed until dusk despite the cold wind without any luck with the
wolves but we did see an adult Wild Boar, a couple of Roe Deer and
surprisingly lots of Red Deer (after the morning’s absence!). In the
distance I found a female Hen Harrier but it quickly disappeared into
the thick heather, with other birds being quite thin on the ground. The
journey back to the hotel was notable for a Wood Mouse crossing the
track in front of the vehicle and for Jupiter again showing its moons
in another position. That night the evening meal was excellent with
traditional Spanish fayre and copious amounts of red wine, it all made
for a very good evening.

Saturday 16th :- It was again
a cold morning with a little more mist and fog around especially at
Linarejos where we watch from again with a sadly diminishing hopeful
attitude, which couldn’t really be helped. We saw the usual Red Deer but
not a lot else and decided to give it up around 09:15 and go for
breakfast. San Pedro village seemed full of birds so before going into
the hotel, I walked down to the fields and hedgerows just beyond the
church and watched for a while. Here I got great views of several Rock
& Tree Sparrows, Serins, Goldfinches, Song Thrush, Blackbirds,
Blackcaps, Cirl Bunting and a Southern Grey Shrike. It was brilliant.
Then after breakfast just before the others arrived Aileen and I did
the same thing and saw pretty much the same birds. Once we were ready
we set off and headed out towards Otero seeing the usual Red Kites,
Common Buzzards and Ravens en-route. Just outside Otero I spied a
falcon-like bird hovering over a ploughed field and thought that’s not a
Kestrel! Sure enough once I had stopped and got in my binoculars I
positively identified it as a Black shouldered Kite. So we pulled into a
nearby track and watched this and a second bird hunting together over
the field. These gorgeous pair of raptors showed really well and was
thoroughly enjoyed by the whole group, and in addition there were also
lots of Skylarks flying round. So we continued on towards
Villafafila and a few kilometres before the village we stopped for our
first 11 Great Bustards that Aileen had seen from the vehicle. Mel and I
set up our scopes and we all enjoyed superb views of these magnificent
birds along with a Northern Wheatear, more Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, a
few Red Kites and Common Buzzard. We got into Villafafila and drove
straight out to one of the lagoons that still had a bit of shallow
water in and found plenty of waders, which included lots of Ruff, a few
Curlew Sandpipers, Dunlin, Little Stints and Ringed Plovers. It
was a glorious day and the sun wasn’t in the best position for viewing
but it was good for raptors and over the course of half an hour we
were treated to excellent views of Red Kites, Common Buzzards, Hen
& Marsh Harriers sometimes all flying together, which gave a
fabulous species comparison. As I knew this area very well I knew where
to look and in the distance I spied more Great Bustards. So we made a
quick visit to the agricultural drylands getting much better views of
these superb birds along with couple of Hen Harriers, Red legged
Partridges, Stonechat and a nice flock of Skylarks. It was now time for
our picnic lunch so we drove the short distance back towards the
seasonal pools to a small area with tables and benches to use. This is
also a very good area for the steppe species and we easily found about
50 more Great Bustards feeding in the ploughed fields. There were also
some large birds flying in the distance, which were mainly Greylag
Geese but also our first Common Cranes looking their majestic selves in
their ‘V’ formation flight. We watched them until they dropped into the
fields in the distance so hopefully later we could get closer and
better views of these wintering birds. Then I heard a call I recognised
and called “Black bellied Sandgrouse” and sure enough flying low over
the fields were a flock 12 birds. Although initially distant and
difficult to see they eventually flew quite close to where we were
standing and we all got good views of them. A little later Mel said “I
think I have some more sandgrouse?” but when I looked at them through
my binoculars they didn’t feel right. So I quickly got my telescope on
to them and discovered they were in fact Little Bustards, a species not
often seen here. It had been a brilliant lunch stop and with the
weather being so warm we saw a few butterflies on the wing including
Western Dappled White, Speckled Wood and Clouded Yellows. Once the
picnic had been completed we got back into the vehicle and headed back
towards the main road and returning towards Villafafila. Near the town I
turned off the road and again drove slowly along the metalled track
towards the observatory at Otero that overlooked the main lagoon of
Villafafila. The drive proved fruitful as we now got a lot closer to
the Common Cranes and got some fabulous views as they fed in the
extensive grasslands. We continued towards Otero finding a few Northern
Wheatears, Meadow Pipits, White Wagtails and Crested Larks. We stopped
in the car park of the observatory but sadly the lagoon was almost dry
with just a small patch of water in the distance exposed with Greylag
Geese and 2 Shelduck but nothing else. However this place is also good
for Little Owl and my regular bird did not disappoint as I found it sat
on the usual broken down dovecot. The day was wearing on and I was
still keen to visit another good site en-route back to San Pedro de
Herrerias. So we set off back and soon enough we pulled in where the
bridge crosses the Rio Esla. I have been here many times but this was by
far the best visit due to the level of activity. Initially we found
the usual Little & Great Crested Grebes, Grey Heron, Mallards and
Gadwall with Crag Martins and a lone Barn Swallow catching insect
around the bridge. While I was watching these Aileen walked over and
said “there’s an egret over here, the one with the yellow bill”.
Thinking this was a Cattle Egret and a fairly good record I went to
look and when I saw it I was speechless as it was the size of a Grey
Heron. It was in fact a Great White Egret and an excellent (and
notable) record for this area, Aileen was right it did have a big
yellow bill! While were admiring this I heard a familiar ‘peep’
call and a Kingfisher flew in and landed below us, giving great views
through the telescope as it caught a fish in the river. It was now
time to return to San Pedro for an hour’s rest before our final
evening looking for the elusive Iberian Wolf. That evening I wanted to
try and find another site I hadn’t visited before near Ferrerias de
Arriba where carcasses were sometimes put out for the wolves.
After a little searching we eventually found the right track up the
mountain to the Ermita. This was then followed by a short walk through
the woodland with a clearing to see across the valley and on the other
side we could plainly see the bones of long dead animals. Sadly there
was nothing fresh but we decided to stay there and wait until dusk to
see if anything happened along. Unfortunately it didn’t but we did get
good views of several Griffon Vultures on the top of the ridge and
couple of Jays in the Oak trees. As dusk fell we resigned ourselves to
the fact that we were not going to see another Iberian Wolf this trip
and headed back to the accommodation for our final evening meal and
drinks.

Sunday 17th :- We again woke to
another gloriously crisp morning but we were quite sad to be leaving
this wonderful location. Aileen needed to be at the airport for midday
so we needed to leave around 10am almost straight after breakfast. Mel
& Lorraine were continuing on their journey to Britain, with Thomas
& Sheila spending a few more days in Spain before going home. So
we all said our fond farewells to Antonio and thanked him for being
such a fantastic host, before saying goodbye to each other. The journey
back to Madrid was seemless with the completion of the by-pass around
Zamora and along the route we saw White Storks, Cattle Egrets, Southern
Grey Shrike, Red Kites, Common Buzzards, Griffon Vultures and Crested
Larks. I returned Aileen to the airport in good time for her flight and
then continued through to my home in Valencia. Despite the
frustrations of the wolf sighting it had again been a fabulous short
break to a fantastic area of Spain.